As developers scan areas of disinvestment and decline in search of the next “new neighborhood,” all too often they look past residents who have been there through good times and bad, seeing only the “place of opportunity.” The typical practice of reimagining and rebranding older neighborhoods to “South of Somewhere” overlooks the possibilities of creating an authentically-rooted identity found in the historic, albeit romanticized memories that remain among long time residents. As planners and architects are called upon to execute the visions of such developers, we have an opportunity, if not an obligation to offer an alternative approach that involves building on the brand that already exists.

The City of Detroit's Planning & Development Department, under the leadership of Director Maurice Cox, has instituted a robust community engagement process as the cornerstone of conducting neighborhood planning framework studies. This talk will provide a window into that process and some of the early outcomes.

These sessions are a response to requests from faculty and students to learn more about what’s going on in the field in an informal environment. We hope this can inspire emergent thoughts and connections that will inform our scholarship.

As developers scan areas of disinvestment and decline in search of the next “new neighborhood,” all too often they look past residents who have been there through good times and bad, seeing only the “place of opportunity.” The typical practice of reimagining and rebranding older neighborhoods to “South of Somewhere” overlooks the possibilities of creating an authentically-rooted identity found in the historic, albeit romanticized memories that remain among long time residents. As planners and architects are called upon to execute the visions of such developers, we have an opportunity, if not an obligation to offer an alternative approach that involves building on the brand that already exists.

The City of Detroit's Planning & Development Department, under the leadership of Director Maurice Cox, has instituted a robust community engagement process as the cornerstone of conducting neighborhood planning framework studies. This talk will provide a window into that process and some of the early outcomes.

These sessions are a response to requests from faculty and students to learn more about what’s going on in the field in an informal environment. We hope this can inspire emergent thoughts and connections that will inform our scholarship.

As developers scan areas of disinvestment and decline in search of the next “new neighborhood,” all too often they look past residents who have been there through good times and bad, seeing only the “place of opportunity.” The typical practice of reimagining and rebranding older neighborhoods to “South of Somewhere” overlooks the possibilities of creating an authentically-rooted identity found in the historic, albeit romanticized memories that remain among long time residents. As planners and architects are called upon to execute the visions of such developers, we have an opportunity, if not an obligation to offer an alternative approach that involves building on the brand that already exists.

The City of Detroit's Planning & Development Department, under the leadership of Director Maurice Cox, has instituted a robust community engagement process as the cornerstone of conducting neighborhood planning framework studies. This talk will provide a window into that process and some of the early outcomes.

These sessions are a response to requests from faculty and students to learn more about what’s going on in the field in an informal environment. We hope this can inspire emergent thoughts and connections that will inform our scholarship.